He is hot, sexy and one of the most charming hunks on television. Single but not ready to mingle, Rithvik Dhanjani talks about how Balaji Telefilms and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa have contributed to his stardom

Rithvik aka Arjun talks about his chemistry and friendship with Asha Negi, the good and bad of the television industry and his broken heart.

How has your journey been with Pavitra Rishta?

It has been nothing less than adventurous, a blessing; it’s just been awesome. I was playing a completely negative character in Pyaar Ki Ek Kahaani when this offer came to me, so it was a complete shocker. I was offered a positive character like Arjun, which came as a blessing and has been going good till date. This show has given me everything. I made my identity ‘coz of Pavitra Rishta and Balaji Telefilms. I will be eternally grateful to them.

How was it working with Balaji Telefilms?

I have only worked with them and frankly, I don’t want to step out any more. Right from my first show, Bandini, Pyaar Ki Ek Kahaani and now Pavitra Rishta, all have been with Balaji Telefilms. I have been a Balaji boy; it’s like home to me and I’m way too comfortable here. I’ve known everyone on the sets and in the production house for more than three and half years and it has been great.

How is your chemistry and equation with Asha Negi aka Purvi?

I think whatever I am; it’s mainly because of this chemistry. I never thought it would click so well between Asha and me. I believe even the audiences love it, that’s why it is so popular. Secondly, we just enjoy working together. We are really close and great friends. Our off screen chemistry is so brilliant that it automatically gets transferred onscreen. I am really glad I got Asha Negi as Purvi, ‘coz no one else would be able to do this role better than her.

What about your chemistry with your childhood friends and wife Ovi?

Ovi and Arjun are childhood friends, but he loves Purvi. As a character, Ovi is very interesting to watch, ‘coz she can do anything, any time. She is absolutely unpredictable. And Shruti Kanwar is a brilliant actor, who has grown tremendously in these past years, both as an actor and as a person. I have seen her journey and it’s mind blowing.

How similar or different are Rithvik and Arjun?

There is absolutely nothing similar between the two. Arjun is not as strong as he looks – he has this softness that Rithvik doesn’t possess. Rithvik would never let his love go, would never cry and definitely not make so many sacrifices. Probably the only similar factor between the two is that both of them love their mom very much. I love doing scenes with my mother even if it’s with a photo frame; that’s the only emotion I truly connect with.

Tell us something about Pavitra Rishta you like and what you dislike…

I like the authenticity and simplicity of Pavitra Rishta. The concept of a mechanic falling in love with a middle-class girl is simple beautiful. Moving into our love story – when Arjun, a high-end business man falls for a chawl girl, how he does things for her, becomes a mechanic, gives up his luxurious lifestyle and sacrifices everything to get her, is awesome. It may not be the most believable thing at times, but the concept is nice and that’s what I like. The story is the strongest point of PV. There is nothing in particular I dislike about the show; it’s more to do with television in general. We tend to dramatise a lot. Reactions sometimes don’t seem natural. Reality is a little bit different, but then television is like that, even though I don’t connect with it at times.

Do you think television is regressive?

I think it is regressive – actually more than regressive, it is repetitive. For the past eight to ten years we’ve seen the same stories over and over again. Take hit shows Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi or Kasauti Zindagi Ki – they had set a standard. But people have been copying that for generations – the look, the feel and sometimes even the story – but you can’t make a KSBKBT again. When a novel show like Balika Vadhu came into the market, a lot of people ran into villages to find a story. That’s not how it works. Just ‘coz one thing worked doesn’t mean it all will. I think TV should open up more to crisp and beautiful concepts and stories. Luckily we have a wonderful set of writers in the industry with a lot of talent, but it does not get explored well because of the medium. We purposely try to cage it in the ‘idiot box’; things will change if we believe that it’s a 70mm screen and people are here to watch a movie. A few years ago such stories did come with shows like Banegi Apni Baat, Rishtey, Hip Hip Hurray, Family No 1 and Just Mohabbat. I remember as a child I would wait all day to watch these weekly shows. It’s a vicious circle and TV will turn around and come back to it eventually. But when it becomes a daily soap, it becomes monotonous and that’s what we need to break out of.

What is your dream role?

My dream is to one day be in films and do something no one has ever done before. I want to do a role that will make people remember me even ages after I am gone.

Have you caught up with any of your friends’ movies?

Yes, I always watch all my friends’ movies. I have yet to see Ruslaan Mumtaaz’s I Don’t Love You.I recently saw Sushant Singh’s Kai Po Che, which is a superb film, and I want to mention Rajkumar Yadav’s brilliant acting. Basically, I do watch as many films as I can.

Besides your own show, do you have any other favourites?

I don’t follow Indian fiction on television. However, when it comes to non-fiction, I follow Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. It’s simply superb.

How did Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa change your life?

It changed everything. It gave me an identity, which is something very difficult to achieve in television. Even today people will recognise Sushant Singh Rajput as Manav more than anything else. The character becomes so strong that people don’t distinguish their real identity. Post Jhalak, people came to know who the real Rithvik is. It gave me an identity separate from my character. What more can an actor want!

Are you dating anyone currently?

Not at the moment. It’s been really long, and I don’t want to any time soon either. Currently, I am just focusing on my work. In short, I am single, not ready to mingle.

So there’s really nothing brewing between Asha Negi and you?

No, we have been close friends. Asha is too close to me and we are very comfortable with each other. We somehow manage to connect very well with each other. We are like kids who are great friends. People have been creating stories looking at our closeness, but we are just friends. And we have no issues with people talking about it.

So any crushes?

I’ve only had one crush for a very long time now, but unfortunately she is married. She is Sania Mirza. So let’s not add salt to the wound by talking about it, please. It hurts!

Succumbing to public demand, it seems the makers have decided to unite the two lovebirds and welikes it

Zee TV’s Pavitra Rishta has seen Arjun (Rithvik Dhanjani) and Purvi (Asha Negi) struggling with their feelings for each other, no matter how much they deny it. Since both are married to someone else, these feelings are termed as illegitimate. But with Ovi (Shruti Kanwar)- who has migrated to Canada – almost out of Arjun’s life, there seems a small ray of hope in this relationship.

And the best part is, Purvi’s husband – the ever understanding Onir (Shakti Arora) – will apparently be the cupid who will bring these two lovers back together. According to rumour mills, Onir will pretend to be the bad guy and indirectly unite Arjun and Purvi. Once the couple is back together, he will go back to rekindle his romance with Shalini (Maneka Lalwani), his first wife. Awww… now isn’t that just too sweet!

While we are sure that Arjun and Purvi will come back together and take care of their daughter, Pari, we wonder how the family will react to the news. Will they object to the unification or accept the inevitable and let them be? To find out, keep watching Pavitra Rishta.

Is it just great acting or is there something more to it than what meets the eye?

Zee TV’s popular onscreen couple Arjun (Rithvik Dhanjani) and Purvi (Asha Negi) share great chemistry in Pavitra Rishta. But it’s not what they do in front of the camera that caught our attention, but what’s happening behind.

If rumours are to be believed, the duo has been spending a lot of time alone after the shoots. Rithvik has been taking care of Asha and is apparently very protective about her. Ahem… Ahem! In the show, Rithvik and Asha are married to other people, but their real life is a whole different story. A little birdie from the sets informed that the two are indeed dating each other.

We don’t understand what’s with all the denial and secrecy – pyar kiya toh darna kya, right? Well their personal life is technically their business, but who’s to stop us from snooping around. We tried to get in touch with both the actors, but sadly got no response.

Hope the couple soon come out and confirm our doubts ‘coz nothing can be kept a secret for that long, no?

Ekta Kapoor’s popular show on Zee TV is gearing up for some major showdown

Pavitra Rishta’s Purvi (Asha Negi) is the mother of Arjun’s (Rithvik Dhanjani) child. All this while, Purvi kept it hidden from everyone, even Arjun, but no secret remains a secret for that long.

The truth had to come out sooner than later. In the upcoming episodes, Purvi’s family will learn about the illegitimate child. Obviously, everyone is enraged and blame her for the stupidity. Wonder if they forgot that two people play a role in bringing a child to the world. When Ovi – Arjun’s wife (Shruti Kanwar) comes to know of this, she is livid with Arjun. The couple, who had just about managed to sort out their issues, has a major fight. Nasty, right!

In all this blame game, only one person supports Purvi – her husband Onir (Shakti Arora). He pacifies the family and brings everyone together. What a guy! Who wouldn’t want such a man in their life? Well, Purvi doesn’t. Even though she claims that she is over Arjun, we wonder if she really is.

Now that the secret is out, will Arjun try to get back with Purvi? Or will Purvi realise the worth of her husband and decide to stick with him? Will Ovi ever be able to forgive Arjun and Purvi and move on?

A stagnating storyline of yet another television serial takes a leap, in the hope that the ratings will follow suit

Zee TV’s Pavitra Rishta is taking a 20 year leap, and Ekta Kapoor admits the time for change had arrived long ago. “But we got busy with other things, so naturally the ratings dipped. It’s my fault,” she said at the announcement of the leap. You are probably aware that right now the new Manav (Hiten Tejwani) and Archana (Ankita Lokhande) are at odds with each other, as Archana dragged Manav to court over the redevelopment project of their housing society. As it turns out, Manav loses the case (obviously, if he had won, they would have to pull down the set). The two are further pulled apart when Soham goes missing after Archana’s sister Varsha kidnaps him. Archana delivers twins – Ovi and Tejaswini – but an angry Manav forcibly takes them and their son Sachin away from her and moves to Canada. Savita Tai goes with him. Meanwhile, Archana is still in Mumbai with her mother Sulochana and Poorvi, an orphan girl she adopts. The makers have promised exciting developments once the post-leap story begins on December 12. Can’t wait till then? Get introduced to Manav and Archana’s kids right now!